Bigamy marriage

[Sweetfruits 4]

Dear VJ members,

A friend of mind petition for a green card for her husband who she met in the US and the husband was first issued a 2 year green card and then the 10 year green card but after the 10 year green card was issued to the husband, the husband decided to go to his home country in Africa for holidays because he was living in the US for more than 10 years without seeing his family members in Africa. During his visit to his native country, my friend was doing a complete house clean up and she came across a marriage certificate written in French because the husband is from a french African country and she seek advice and she was told asked its indeed a marriage certificate showing his husband is married back home in his country and she decided to translate it in English and keep it. When the husband came back she asked if he is married and he said he was married but he divorced the wife before meeting my friend and my friend asked him, why is your divorce papers, he could not produce any. My friend married him in Ohio USA and he was asked at the court during the marriage if he was married and he said he never have a wife his whole life.

1) Now that my friend has a proof of his marriage certificate married to another wife before marrying her, can my friend annul the marriage and move?

2) Secondly, my friend told him about how she is planning to annul the marriage, and he said he don't know about annulment so he would prefer a divorce, what do you guys think of this?

3) My friend requested an appointment with USCIS and took a copy of his marriage certificate of him and his other wife in Africa to USCIS their file was pulled to the office from another state only for USCIS to tell my friend that they themselves have discovered so many lies about her husband because he twice applied for a green card with a different name before he even married my friend. My friend was so shock, confused and full of anger for USCIS themselves questioning how on earth can USCIS approve for his Green card without knowing they guy applied before up until he was issued a 10 year green card. Can some tell us if this is possible because to my knowledge bio-metrics are there for things like this?

4) My friend now hired the services of a lawyer and the lawyer told her that even with the 10 year green card, if found guilty of bigamy he would be deported and possibly sent to jail before taking him out of the country. Can someone shed light because i was thinking ones issued a 10 year card, you are now ok. I asked another immigration officer and he told me my friend reported it on time, because if the man went on and apply for the LPR, then he would have been free but since he is still on the 10 green card, immigration would be on his heels especially he lied on most of his records at USCIS. USCIS now have the marriage certificate of him and his other wife he married in Africa showing proof of bigamy, also he applied before he married my friend with a different name and now after the lawyer asked him about his other marriage back in his home country, he said he was divorced before marrying my friend, forgetting that, when he was marrying my friend in Ohio, he was asked if he ever married and he said no, also when applying for his Green card he was asked on the I-130 about previous spouses and he answered never married. Now he is trying to probably submit a fake divorce paper to say he was divorce before marrying my friend.

5) My friend is heart broken, because she did a lot for him and even buy assets in the man's country but she said she will annul the marriage but the husband is insisting on divorce only. Any experience advice would help us so much...

[Ontarkie 14,221]

~~Moved to Effects of Major Family Changes on Immigration Benefits, from IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports~~

Edited October 31, 2014 by Ontarkie

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

To divorce you have to be legally married and if the man was already married the marriage to your friend was invalid. Annulment has advantages in the division of property and his right to claim against her. Bigamy is also a crime as she can seek to have him jailed at the state level which should prevent him from doing this to someone else. He seems to think divorce will give him advantages in staying in the US and probably in the division of properties. Hopefully he is returned to where he comes from.

[BigDaddy28 228]

Dear VJ members,

A friend of mind petition for a green card for her husband who she met in the US and the husband was first issued a 2 year green card and then the 10 year green card but after the 10 year green card was issued to the husband, the husband decided to go to his home country in Africa for holidays because he was living in the US for more than 10 years without seeing his family members in Africa. During his visit to his native country, my friend was doing a complete house clean up and she came across a marriage certificate written in French because the husband is from a french African country and she seek advice and she was told asked its indeed a marriage certificate showing his husband is married back home in his country and she decided to translate it in English and keep it. When the husband came back she asked if he is married and he said he was married but he divorced the wife before meeting my friend and my friend asked him, why is your divorce papers, he could not produce any. My friend married him in Ohio USA and he was asked at the court during the marriage if he was married and he said he never have a wife his whole life.

1) Now that my friend has a proof of his marriage certificate married to another wife before marrying her, can my friend annul the marriage and move?

2) Secondly, my friend told him about how she is planning to annul the marriage, and he said he don't know about annulment so he would prefer a divorce, what do you guys think of this?

3) My friend requested an appointment with USCIS and took a copy of his marriage certificate of him and his other wife in Africa to USCIS their file was pulled to the office from another state only for USCIS to tell my friend that they themselves have discovered so many lies about her husband because he twice applied for a green card with a different name before he even married my friend. My friend was so shock, confused and full of anger for USCIS themselves questioning how on earth can USCIS approve for his Green card without knowing they guy applied before up until he was issued a 10 year green card. Can some tell us if this is possible because to my knowledge bio-metrics are there for things like this?

4) My friend now hired the services of a lawyer and the lawyer told her that even with the 10 year green card, if found guilty of bigamy he would be deported and possibly sent to jail before taking him out of the country. Can someone shed light because i was thinking ones issued a 10 year card, you are now ok. I asked another immigration officer and he told me my friend reported it on time, because if the man went on and apply for the LPR, then he would have been free but since he is still on the 10 green card, immigration would be on his heels especially he lied on most of his records at USCIS. USCIS now have the marriage certificate of him and his other wife he married in Africa showing proof of bigamy, also he applied before he married my friend with a different name and now after the lawyer asked him about his other marriage back in his home country, he said he was divorced before marrying my friend, forgetting that, when he was marrying my friend in Ohio, he was asked if he ever married and he said no, also when applying for his Green card he was asked on the I-130 about previous spouses and he answered never married. Now he is trying to probably submit a fake divorce paper to say he was divorce before marrying my friend.

5) My friend is heart broken, because she did a lot for him and even buy assets in the man's country but she said she will annul the marriage but the husband is insisting on divorce only. Any experience advice would help us so much...

1) I can't really answer that question as I don't have enough info about that.

2) Same as above

3) USCIS will deport the guy for polygamy and lying to a federal agent to get immigration benefits.

4) I guarantee you he will get deported after going to prison.

5) do not go into divorce or annulment until asking a lawyer. The lawyer will tell her what's better for her.

[Jawaree 717]

He can be charged with misrepresentation and bigamy,

she needs an annulment her marriage is not valid in the

US, and USCIS will deport im once tey have those evidence

and prior red flags

[ppihtr123 68]

Seems to me that the Ohio Marriage license is Voidable. Probably need to go back to Ohio and provide proof to that court to invalidate the marriage. Result will be the Marriage never happened which is basically an annulment.

[zuluweta 250]

Since USCIS admitted to the USC wife that they found out the African man has applied previously for a GC using different name/s, that's misrepresentation right there. Shouldn't they issue a Notice To Appear already so he can plead his case before an immigration judge?

[AmyWrites 593]

She needs a lawyer.

[sparkles_ 456]

Actually she doesn't need an annulment, the marriage was VOID AB INITIO (void from start), it is a legal term you can look up. You can only annul something that was valid and voidable from the start and this isn't the case. She will get a certificate of invalidity declared by a judge based on the evidence....saw this happen to someone close to me once. Also from French West Africa.